No topic is more enduringly relevant. Everyone encounters suffering one way or another and Christian leaders are called to help them understand its meaning.

David Platt, pastor at the Church at Brook Hills and author of Radical, sits down with David Mathis to discuss how he counsels individuals in the midst of affliction. He highlights five essential truths: 1) the sovereignty and goodness of God; 2) a humble view of man; 3) the ultimate reason that suffering exists is to exalt the glory of God's grace in the sacrifice of his Son for sinners; 4) God has a variety of good purposes in suffering; and 5) suffering is a means through which God leads the church to fulfill the Great Commissio…

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Grace was given to you, Christian, before the universe was made. And it was given to you in Jesus Christ.

In this video, looking at Ephesians 1:5 and 2 Timothy 1:9, John Piper explains God's plan for our redemption before the ages began.

This excerpt is taken from the recent sermon, "Why Did God Create the World?"

The glory of God is the most important thing in the universe. But what about the most magnificient aspect of his glory?

John Piper explains in this three-minute video:

This excerpt is from the latest sermon, "Why Did God Create the World?"

Join us this weekend for the free live-stream of our National Conference.

You can also read the full manuscript of John Piper's Friday night message, "Prelude to Acting the Miracle: Putting Sanctification in Its Place."

The ultimate purpose for which God created this world is the praise of the glory of his grace in the death of Jesus for sinners.

There you have it, the most important thing we could ever know.

Recognizing that God exists isn't enough. The question is: why does anything else exist? Why did God create the world? And in particular, why this world?

Working through key texts, John Piper shows the Bible's answer to life's biggest question and how it's connected to the cross.

Stream or download this week's sermon.

I can't shake the scene of that little room where Passion and Patience sit waiting. The boys' sitter instructed them to stay still, to rest side by side, to hold out for what's best. What we come to find is a quest for pleasure so intense we're compelled to take note.

John Bunyan is telling that kind of story in The Pilgrim's Progress. He brings us along with Christian every step of the way and at this particular point Interpreter is our guide.

Interpreter leads Christian into a small room to observe two kids seated in parallel chairs. Passion is the restless one. He is discontent, perhaps huffing and puffing, frowning and squirming. Beside him is Patience. He's the one who keeps quiet.…

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"I can't imagine any greater verse in the Bible," says John Piper of Jeremiah 32:40. The infinite heart of God is engaged in doing us infinite good. And that is what Jesus paid for with his blood.

In this three-minute excerpt, John Piper explains how the cross of Jesus is connected to our persevering in faith.

This excerpt begins at the 27:18 mark of this week's sermon.

Simple? Complex? How should we understand the process of sanctifcation? We've recently featured a series of videos from our friends at CCEF that detail the biblical and practical dynamics of growing in grace, which Tony discusses in this latest episode of Behind the Blog. David also gives some helpful background to recent posts, along with a few highlights on upcoming events and resources.

As always, it is a great pleasure to serve you, our readers, on the blog. We trust the Father, according to the riches of his glory, uses our content as a small means through which Jesus dwells in your hearts by faith. Thanks for reading!

You …

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God will keep his children. This is the basic and glorious truth in the doctrine of eternal security. God will never let those who are his fall away. He will complete the work he began in us. And one of the essential means by which he does this is the faith-sustaining truth we speak into one another's lives. So says the writer of Hebrews, "exhort one another every day, as long as it is called 'today'."

Expounding Hebrews 3:12–15 in this week's sermon, John Piper gets at the role of community in the perseverance of the saints and gives helpful application for what it looks like in the everyday.

Stream or download "Eternal Security Is a Community Project."

What will you say when the door opens for communicating the gospel?

Imagine for a moment a co-worker asks you, "What is this "gospel" you Chrisitans keep talking about?" You're both taking a quick break, and you don't have long to explain. He is wanting the best one-minute summary you can muster. What do you say?

Granted, this is hypothetical, but it's not far-fetched. This is typically how we have opportunity to speak the gospel in one-on-one situations. Keep it short and get to the heart of the message. The gospel is, after all, a message. It is delivered in words and can be summarized without having to summarize all 66 books of the Old and New Testaments.

Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilb…

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John Piper's latest poem, "Calvary Love."

He held the world between his thumb and finger
like a tender grape.

And when the spike was driven through his hand,
his muscles flinched with world-creating force,
and crimson wine dripped from his fingertips.

But with omnipotent resolve
he neither dropped nor crushed his grape.